Necessary Evil
by unwrittenidentity
Summary: Malika Tahan is one of Gotham's best anesthesiologists and also happens to be the reclusive Bruce Wayne's girlfriend, but no one knows where she came from or how she got to Gotham, except two people. One of whom is one of Gotham's most elite, and the other who just happens to be Gotham's reckoning. Let the games begin. Bane/OC
1. Chapter One

_"Malika!" cried my mother as she ran breathlessly, trying to reach me in time. I wanted to call out to her, to hug and kiss her one last time. I knew that our home and our people were being burned down and that there was no way out of this. I covered my mouth with my hand, forcing myself to hold back a scream as I watched Afzal, my father's right hand man slice her throat. I may have only been twelve, but I knew for a long time that Afzal had wanted the throne to himself and I guess once my father had died in battle, he figured that it was the perfect opportunity to do so._

_Tears escaped my eyes as I choked back sobs as I watched my mother's limp body fall to the ground in a lifeless heap. I heard Afzal's footsteps retreat, but dared not look. After a few minutes of calming myself down, I opened my eyes and looked out from my hiding spot to see that the coast was clear. I took a few more deep breaths, trying to plan how I could get out of the palace unscathed. Just as I got ready to pull myself out from underneath the stone bench, Afzal's rugged menacing face smiled at me with black eyes, "Hello Princess," he laughed as he took my arm in his iron grip and pulled me out from underneath as I screamed and clawed at him wherever I could. All he did was laugh and tighten his grip on my arm as he dragged me along._

_He tossed me to his soldiers as if I were nothing but a doll. They eyed me mischieviously as Afzal spoke, "The Pit," was all he said and my eyes became the size of my head as I realized his plan. I screamed with terror until one of the soldiers hit me on the back of my head with the handle of his sword. My vision became spotted and blurry as I tried to keep myself from losing consciousness, but I only lasted a few more seconds until everything went black._

* * *

"Mal," I heard somewhere in the distance, "Mal!" I flutter my eyes open to the sight of Bruce beside me, brushing my thick dark locks across my face. His dark brown eyes gaze into my radiant emerald ones, full of concern, "Baby, you were having a bad dream again." He smiles softly at me.

The memories of my childhood have plagued my dreams every single night since I was banished to Hell on Earth. I realize how much the sheets and my hair have stuck to my sweat-slicked body and groan in disgust, "What time is it?"

"4:53" Bruce answers after rolling over and checking the alarm clock on the bedside table. I get up tentatively, remove my bare body from the bed and saunter over to the adjoining bathroom, making sure to sway my hips as I know the Bruce is watching me. I make it into the bathroom before peeking my head out.

"You coming?" I wink before walking to the shower and turning it on. I let the water run over the front of my body first before I feel a pair of strong muscular arms grope my waist from behind. I turn towards Bruce before crashing my lips into his as the scalding water runs down both of out bodies.

"You know, you really need to get out more, Bruce. Do you even know what they say about you? Some of the things are just ridiculous." I say as I tuck my white sleeveless blouse into my high-waisted black pencil skirt before slipping on a pair of black stiletto pumps. I check myself in the mirror, checking to see if my hair and make-up are up to par.

"Let them say what they want. I don't want to ruin their fun." Bruce smirks and I turn towards him exasperated.

"Well that's all fine and dandy for you, Bruce. But I am the one that's stuck answering all of these questions about you."

"I will never understand how you can make it through a full work day in those shoes, Mal." Bruce shakes his head, changing the subject. Two can play at that game.

"Bye babe. I'm taking the lambo." I say quickly, grabbing my petticoat and leaving the bedroom. I hear him groan as I smirk to myself. I grab the keys, say goodbye to Alfred, and make my way to the garage.

* * *

"Miss Tahan, you're needed in OR 3." I'm greeted with as soon as I walk into the hospital. I nod in understanding before making my way to the locker room, putting my purse away and grabbing my lab coat. I head into OR 3 and are greeted by my fellow colleagues.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's get this operation going." I say after I finished calculating just how much anaesthetics this patient would need to last the surgery.

For the next 10 hours, I am flying from OR to OR and from room to room, working on the anaesthetics for all of my patients

"Hi babe. What's up?" I ask when I pick up my vibrating phone.

"What are you up to?" Bruce asked on the other side of the line.

"Just got off work. I'm going to go pick out a dress for tonight and then I'll see you." Bruce chuckles on the other side of the line.

"Always unprepared, Mal?" I roll my eyes and hush him.

"It's not unprepared. It's procrastination. There is a difference." I joke.

He laughs, "See you soon, love." I say my goodbye and hang up while getting into Bruce's lambo, appreciating the beauty of the car.

I make my way to the ritzy side of town to find an evening gown for the party Bruce is hosting tonight in honour of Harvey Dent Day. I go through a few different stores trying on a bunch of different dresses until I come upon the one that will be perfect for the evening. After all, the girlfriend of a reclusive billionaire has to make up for the lack of her other half. The gown is an eye catching white number with jewels encrusted all over and is backless. The material hugs to my body and makes my boobs look like they're a cup size larger while pushing them up and together just right. The back-line stops right above my butt and the neckline is a perfect fit for my favourite necklace. I smile at the cashier as I grab my bag and leave, heading back to the Wayne Manor.

* * *

"How do I look?" I ask Bruce as I come out of the bathroom with my dress on, my diamond earrings in as well as my necklace and my studded bangle, my make-up done perfectly, and my hair up in an elegant up-do. He looks me up and down and he is speechless.

"Bat got your tongue?" I wink. His face sinks into confusion.

"What did you say?"

"I said 'cat got your tongue'?" I repeated, correcting the Freudian slip I had made. He looked like he didn't believe me still so I walked over to him and pushed my body against his. I was correct in the assumption that this would distract him.

"My God, Mal, you make me want to go out into society again just so that I can keep those bastards' hands off you."

I trail my hand up his arm and to his face, resting on his cheek, "Don't worry about me, babe, you know I can handle myself perfectly well." I smirk before kissing him and turning away to grab a pair of black stilettos. "See you later tonight, babe" I blow him a kiss before leaving the bedroom and descending down the stairs to meet the guests.

I roll my eyes in annoyance as I see all Gotham's elite step out of their fancy cars and limos to remember the death date of a fraud. I hate ever single one of them and can't stand the fact that I have to pretend to like them in order to keep up appearances and keep myself under the wraps. I take another deep breath before making my way towards the crowd. "This is going to be a long night." I whisper under my breath.


	2. Chapter Two

Being the girlfriend of the man hosting this event, I was expected to do the roll he should have been doing if he would actually step outside into society. I walk up to the podium, catching the attention of the male population and the gossiping female population of the crowd. As I began speaking, the rest of my audience turned towards me, "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Since Bruce is unable to," I paused and arched my eyebrows for affect, "_unattend _his own event," laughter erupted from the crowd as no one has seen Bruce Wayne in years, "I speak on behalf of him as I thank you most graciously for attending in honour of our beloved Harvey Dent. I know that both Harvey and Rachel are both looking down on us smiling this evening." The crowd silenced themselves even more at the mention of Rachel whom is often forgotten at these events. "So, without any further adieu," I lift my flute of champagne, "to Harvey and Rachel!" I salute and the crowd repeats as I smile down on them and take a sip of my drink. "Enjoy yourselves and have a good evening, ladies and gentlemen." I say finally before graciously walking down the stage and entering the crowd.

I pass by Commissioner Gordon before he gently takes a hold of my arm and turning me around to face him. He takes my glass from my hands and puts it on the platter of a passing waiter before taking me into his arms for a dance, "Beautiful speech, Mal." He smiles.

"Why thank you, Jim. You are much too kind." I return his smile as he spins me before taking me back in his arms.

"How is he keeping?" Jim asks me as we move to the music being played by the live band.

"Fairly well, but then again, I do not see him when he is alone. I'm afraid he is still haunted by memories." I reply, my face relaying the emotion in my words.

"Understandable. You're good for him, Mal." He smiles down at me and I almost lose my grip on my acting. I just smile as I do not know how to continue the conversation.

I am saved from an awkward silence when a nameless and faceless Gothamite intervenes, asking me for a dance. I take his hand, thankful for the intervention, and bid my farewell to Jim.

I continue dancing with various partners for another hour before politely excusing myself for another drink. As I make my way to the champagne fountain, I am interrupted by a womanly hand grasping my arm, none too politely. I turn around to meet the familiar face of the only woman of Gotham who knows of my past, Miranda Tate.

"Miranda!" I exclaim in fake happiness as we go to kiss each other's cheek. The two of us have to keep up appearances, of course.

"How lovely it is to see you, Malika!" Miranda replies in the same fake happiness. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, just splendid!" I answer quite over-enthusiastically. I make a point not to ask how she is doing, which she notices.

"That's just wonderful, dear!" She retorts with a huge fake smile on her face. By this time, the whole crowd and press are conspicuously watching our exchange.

"Well, I best be going," I start as I prepare to leave, "places to go, people to entertain." I sigh dramatically, "It was lovely to see you, Miranda."

"No, it was lovely to see you." She replies, putting an emphasis on 'you'. We each drop our smiles before harshly pushing past one another. When there are a few feet between us, we both mutter, "Bitch," under our breaths, but loudly enough for everyone to hear as we continue to walk in opposite directions.

The two of us may have a fucked up relationship, but we still find fun in playing with people and their emotions. We were sure that there would be an article in the tabloids tomorrow about the venomous interaction we just had and I smirked to myself just thinking about it. There were already tons of rumours flitting around about our tense relationship.

For the rest of the evening, I fill my time with dancing, drinking, and conversing with all of the guests before retiring a tad early so that Bruce may have some of his own entertainment. Not caring about how the evening will end for the guests, I grab a see through chemise before heading into the bathroom.

I zip out of my dress, putting it on its original hanger on the back of the door, and slipping into the chemise. I take out my hair from its up-do and let it cascade around my shoulders and down my back. I take out my earrings and take off my bangle and necklace. I look at myself through the mirror and deem myself sexy enough to coax out a full night of sex from Bruce.

It's not long before I hear him come into the bedroom, shut the door, lean his cane against the bedside table, and sigh as he relaxes himself on the bed. I open the door before slowly exposing one leg to Bruce. I hear him sigh and laugh because he knows what is coming next. Very slowly, I exit the bathroom with my heels still on and walk teasingly towards him. I see him on the bed, with only his boxers on, and I can already tell he'll be up for it tonight.

* * *

As soon as I left OR 2, I was met with a frantic look on the nurse's face. Before I had time to get a word out, she was filling me in a new VIP patient. I always hated VIP patients. It was ridiculous how just if you had more money or had better connections, you got the best help and the best treatment quicker than anyone else even if someone else's condition was worse. I rolled my eyes as I grabbed the chart and headed to the elevator to get up to the fifth floor. I found the room number and was instantly shocked when I saw who my patient was.

"Jim!" I explained in surprise. He looked to be in a lot of pain so I hurried over to the bedside to get the morphine drip started as quickly as possible. His body was in shock from the gunshot wound so it was no surprise when he didn't see me. He was frantically explaining what had happened and what he saw. I was glad I had taken no time at all to start the drip because what he said next almost made my legs go from underneath me.

I left as quickly as I could from the room without seeming suspicious. I locked myself in the closest on call room I found and took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself. I cleared my mind in a few minutes and decided that I was fit enough to keep working.

I finished up my shift at 9:30 pm and decided that I couldn't waste running into Bruce if I went back to the manor first. So instead, I called and told him I was just going to go out for dinner with a friend and that he shouldn't wait up for me tonight. Once he believed my lie, I decided that it would be best to just take a cab to the Narrows and leave my car here.

I made sure to cover my face so that even if the cab driver knew who I was, he wouldn't know it was me. He seemed sceptical of my attire as he drove me to the Narrows, but I avoided any and all conversations. I told him to drop me off anywhere and when he did, I pulled out a twenty dollar bill and told him to keep the change.

Once I got out of the cab, I wrapped my coat tighter around me as the cold wind nipped at my body. I avoided looking at any of the people here, not wanting to cause a commotion. I heard whistles and cat calls but chose to ignore them all. I found the first man hole I could and forced it open just enough so that my body could slip through.

I climbed down the ladder rather gracefully for being in platform stilettos, but as soon as had both feet on the cement floor, I heard the click of a gun against the back of my head. "Now, what's a fine hot thing like you doing climbing into the sewer?" I heard a grotesque voice whisper beside my ear. I knew his guard was down from the way I felt the barrel of the gun not fully pressed to my head. I took my chance to swiftly bring my arms up around my head, wrapping themselves around his arm before twisting my body and causing his own body to be flipped onto his back, knocking the wind out of him.

I grabbed the gun out from his limp hand and now held it to his temple, "You will do as I say or you won't live to say another single word, you got me?" I whisper to him menacingly. He manages a nod and I force him to stand up. Once he is solidly on his feet, I go to the back of him and wrap my left arm around his neck as I keep the gun cocked to his right temple. I curse my height even in heels as I still have to reach up a bit for my arm to be forcefully around his neck.

I force him to move and to tell me the way to the 'camp'. We manage to not run into any more soldiers until we get close to the main area. "You know they won't hesitate to shoot me. You don't have a very good plan there, sweetheart."

I laugh, "Oh, you're not used for leverage, dear. You're just a shield." We turn the corner and immediately numerous guns are pointed on us. I quickly manage to shoot four guys in their hands, making them drop their weapons, while the rest begin to shoot as much as they can.

I hide behind the lifeless man's body as he falls to the ground. I shoot the remainder of the guys' hands before there are no more threats. I hear a shuffle behind me and turn immediately, holding the gun to the man's forehead, "Take me to Bane." I demand and he takes a moment before laughing.

"Sweetie, we were going to take you to him anyways. Now, just give me the gun."

"I really don't think you're in any position to be giving demands right now." I smirk before grabbing his shoulder and bringing up my knee right into his groin. He drops to the ground and falls over. I smirk again before getting behind him and pulling him up by his soldiers vest.

He walks as fast as he can manage and takes me to where Bane is. He tells all of the soldiers to not shoot before we enter. Once they see me, their guns lower a bit. Besides the gun to the man's head, they don't see me as a threat. Instead, they start whistling and making gestures at one another. I roll my eyes and continue pushing the guy to keep on going.

We make it to the centre of the room and I see him immediately, his back towards me. The soldiers manages to stutter out his name and just as he does, I kick the back of his knee and he collapses to the ground as I toss him away. "It's been a long time, Bane." I smirk and at the sound of my voice, I see his body tense up before he turns around to face me. He seems even bigger than I remember.

"Malika," He nods in recognition. His stature is as if I'm just another person. However, his eyes show his true emotion and I can read everything he can't say aloud.


	3. Chapter Three

**It's shorter than I intended this one to be, but I am leaving later on today on holidays and I'll be gone for 8 days. I'm so sorry. I'll do what I can though.**

* * *

"Ah, Mailka. You always were one to dress to impress." I could tell he was smirking behind the mask as I saw him eye me up and down. It took every ounce of strength I had in me to not jump his bones right then and there, but I knew just as well as he that appearances can make or break a person, so I stayed in my place as our eyes danced over each other.

"B-boss," one of his more timid soldiers stammered out, "w-what are you doing? This is Bruce Wayne's girlfriend." Bane purposely walked slowly, but menacingly as he made his way over to the soldier. He knew he had elicited fear into his soldier, which was his intent. "You question me?" Bane stated more than asked as he picked up the squeamish man by the neck and quickly broke his neck, killing him instantaneously, before throwing him off the edge of the level we were on. After he had regained the fear from his soldiers, he turned towards me.

I forced myself to look into his eyes and I saw confusion and what I think was hurt and betrayal. I looked away quickly. "Is it true?" He asked me.

After regaining my composure, I smiled sheepishly up at him, "Coming on 14 months." I could definitely see the betrayal in his eyes now, but I dared not let them shake me this time. I reminded myself of why I shouldn't care and the reason came back to me quickly: Talia, or more commonly knows as Miss Miranda Tate. "Bane, I need to talk to you _alone_." He understood the look in my eyes and quickly grabbed me by the arm, rather forcefully, and leading me to his private quarters, far away from the soldiers.

As soon as he closed and locked the doors behind us, I tackled him onto the bed, wrapping my legs around his torso. He responded right away albeit a bit surprised from the tackle. His arms wrapped themselves securely around me and they started to roam as he searched to remember my body. My hands hurriedly explored his body in lust as I pressed my body even closer to his, which extracted a groan from both of us.

It didn't take long before both of us were entirely exposed to one another as we fully gave ourselves to one another in lust and agony. It had been much too long since we had been together in the truest nature and emotions completely took over us.

By the time we were finished, we both had sizable bruises all over our body from one another. I lay on top of Bane as my fingers trace his face, avoiding the mask, but going over every single scar. He closed his eyes in peacefulness which caused me to smile. This was as close to kissing his lips as I could once the mask was put on him. I kissed the exposed areas of his face before trailing down to his neck and nuzzling myself into the crook of his neck.

"Why are you with that billionaire playboy?" Bane all of a sudden asked. I could hear the bitterness in his voice as his grip tightened on me as he grew angrier. I sighed exasperatedly.

"What does it matter to you anyways? You have Talia, remember?" I angrily shot back at him before quickly getting out of his arms and off the bed. I grabbed my clothes that had been strewn everywhere in the room due to our passion. I dressed myself in record timing as Bane continued to lay in his bed, obviously frustrated. As I reached for the door, I paused, "You may have loved Talia for her innocence, but everyone knows that innocence is gone and it's never coming back. You loved me for who I was, but you loved Talia's innocence more. I am just the same as I've always been, Bane, and I'm not changing either. I honest to God do not care who you choose in the end for my heart cannot break twice."

With that, I threw open the door and slammed it shut behind me just as I heard Bane throw something at the door. I did not even wince at the loud bang that erupted as I strutted my way out of the main area. I ignored the looks and the stares and kept my head high, not allowing myself to break.

In a surprisingly short time, I exited the tunnels and decided just to walk back to my car. I figured it would only be about a fifteen minute walk back and I needed the time to calm down and compose myself.

The wind picked up as the sound of my heels hitting the pavement echoed in the dead of the night. I secured my coat even tighter around my body as I strode past empty alleyways. I was just waiting for the next creep to think he could rape an unaccompanied woman and one presented them self sooner than later.

"You know, a hot thing like you shouldn't be wandering these streets at this hour alone." Without looking, I could tell he was grinning to himself, showing off decrepit and rotting teeth with an unshaven face. Knowing that people tend to make the most mistakes when they're angry, I decided to ignore him and kept on my way.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, you little bitch!" I could hear him walking a bit faster than his normal pace, figuring I was still out of harms way, I continued to ignore him. "You fucking cunt! I'm going to have fun with you." I heard his footsteps coming at me faster and faster. Once I knew he was within distance of me, I hiked my skirt up and did a back-kick into his groin with the very point of my heel. He collapsed to the ground so quickly, clutching his balls as he did.

I crouched down beside the writhing man, "You know, someone as stupid as you should really watch out for who they try to rape. You never know, you could end up picking the wrong bitch." I coldly seethed through my teeth as I gave him a light slap of mocking encouragement on his face.

I quickly stood up, pulled my skirt back down, and continued on my way as if nothing had ever happened. I reached my car no more than ten minutes later and as I got in I blasted the heat, trying to warm up my hands that were now icicles. I put my key into the ignition and pulled away from the curb, making my way back to the Wayne Manor.

I snuck into the bedroom and quietly tiptoed my way to the closet to grab a pair of spandex shorts and an oversized tee and heading off into the bathroom to prepare myself for bed. I checked the time on my watch, which read: 2:04.

"Christ almighty." I mumbled under my breath, getting out of my work clothes and into my pyjamas. After removing my make-up, washing my face, and brushing my teeth, I exited the bathroom and crawled into bed. As I was shifting around to make myself comfortable, I felt Bruce's arm wrap around my waist and pull me into him.

"What took you so long?" Bruce mumbled into my hair.

"We decided to go to a bar after dinner. We played some pool and danced and totally lost track of time. I'm sorry, baby." I fed that lie on a silver spoon and if I hadn't known the truth, I would've believed it myself.

"You don't have to apologize. I was just worried. There is lots of evil lurking around Gotham still." He quietly spoke before falling back asleep once again.

"And don't I know it." I whispered under my breath before closing my eyes and drifting into slumber.

_A weight on my shoulder brought me out of my stupor as I immediately recoiled from the person. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you." I heard a thrilling deep voice say before he took a seat beside me, resting his arms on his knees. I dared not look up until he introduced himself, "I'm Bane." I looked up into the most mesmerizing eyes I have ever seen. They held so much emotion behind them and I couldn't help but get lost in them._

_I managed to regain what sense I had left and was able to respond, "Malika." I offered him a small smile and he graciously returned it. Not moments later, I found my head resting upon his upper left shoulder, the exhaustion overwhelming me. I felt him tense up at first, but he slowly relaxed before removing his arm from in between us and placing it around me. Immediately, I found myself feeling the safest I've ever been. "Don't leave me alone tonight." I mumbled into his chest as I nuzzled into him further and fell asleep._


	4. Chapter Four

"_You know we're going to have to take care of her," I said to Bane as we stared at the infant wrapped in cloth that was lying in my cell, "I promised her mother." Bane just continued to stare at the innocence._

"_I'm willing if you are." He replied. Our eyes met and both of our lips turned up into a grin. I picked up the child into my arms and sat down on my bed as Bane took a seat next to me. I cradled the little human in my arms and cooed her to sleep again. "What did the mother say her name was?"_

"_Talia," I answered as I leaned into the comforting embrace of Bane's arms. "Little Talia." My eyes closed as I relaxed my body._

"_We're going to have to intensify your training if you have to protect yourself and Talia." Bane mumbled as his face buried in my hair. I felt his breath tickle my ear and I shivered._

"_Where do we put Talia when we go training?"_

"_We'll give her to the doctor. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." I shivered again and Bane pulled me closer into his body, tightening his arms around me. I nuzzled my face deeper into his chest and was completely at peace._

"_Bane, they're in need of your help." Another prisoner said as he came into my cell. Bane sighed in annoyance and mumbled something resembling "fine" and left with the man. I decided to go see what they needed help with so I gently laid Talia on the bed and made my way to the railing to peer over the centre._

_Suddenly something cold and sharp was pressed to my neck. I estimated the space between the man and me and figured how I was going to get out of this predicament. "Don't even think about fighting your way out of this, princess, you wouldn't want any harm to come to the infant now, would you?" My eyes widened in horror and I felt him grab me roughly by the arm and lead me back to the cell._

_Sure enough, there was another prisoner there holding a knife to Talia's throat. "What the fuck do you want with me?" I spat out in anger._

_The men just chuckled, "You." The man answered and threw me onto the bed and it all clicked. Bane leaving wasn't a coincidence where they took their opportune moment; the whole thing was planned._

_All of it was an attempt to get what they want from me. As the man started hastily undressing, I took it as an opportunity to scream. A loud scream erupted from my throat and I just hoped to God that Bane had heard it because I didn't have much time left._

_The now naked man jumped on top of me, grabbed a hold of my hair, and threw my head into the wall, "You fucking slut! You're going to pay!" I felt my cloth pants being ripped off of me and I turned my head to look at Talia, who was already screaming and crying as much as the man tried to silence her. Her eyes were filled with fear and I braced myself for the worst._

My eyes fluttered open and I stared into Bruce's. "You were having another bad dream again, weren't you?" Bruce stated more than asked. I silently nodded and his arms wrapped around me tighter, pulling me closer into his body. I sighed and nuzzled my face into his warm chest before drifting off into sleep once more.

"Mal. Malika. Wake up sweetie." Bruce whispered into my ear. I sluggishly lifted my hand up to swat him away, but he just chuckled as he caught my wrist.

"Five more minutes." I mumbled before rolling over and pulling the blanket over my head. Bruce laughed and I heard his footsteps disappear. I smiled in contentment and snuggled further into the king sized bed. Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted up by a strong pair of arms and carried away from the bed. I looked around in befuddlement until I realized where Bruce was taking me to: the bathroom.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Bruce. Don't you dare!" He didn't stop. "Bruce! Put me down this instant!" I started to scream and kick and flail my arms; anything to get out of his arms. "I swear to God, Bruce, if you do not put me down right now, I will make your life so hard, you don't even know!" I threatened with truth in my voice. Of course, he just continued to laugh.

All of a sudden, the shower was turned on and I was being placed in the tub. I screamed more and started shouting obscenities at him. Finally, I gave up and just let him bathe me because I refused to do anything. Sure enough, I was wide awake but I was still content on making his life hard for him. Once he was finished, I wrapped myself in a towel and trudged out of the bathroom, not giving him a single glance. I changed into a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans, a white tank top, a black ¾ length sleeve blazer, and a pair of blood red pumps. I let my hair air-dry before wrapping it into a tight bun and doing my make up. Once I approved of my appearance, I grabbed my purse and walked down the stairs to get some breakfast.

"Good morning, Miss Malika." Alfred greeted me. I rolled my eyes because no matter how many times I insisted, he still called me 'Miss'.

"Good morning, Alfred. How are you today?" I asked with a smile as I took a seat at the table.

"I'm quite well, Miss. How are you?"

"Splendid," I replied, "despite a minor predicament this morning." I joked with him.

He laughed, "Ah, yes. I dared not interfere with whatever was going on up there. I found it best to just let the events unfold."

"Alfred! You should have stopped him! Not the best way to wake up, might I say." I glared at him jokingly as he just laughed.

"What are your plans today, Miss Malika? Are you working?" Alfred asked as he placed a cup of coffee in front of me.

"No, but I am on call. I'm just thinking of doing some shopping and whatnot. After all, Bruce owes me." I winked at him as he smiled in delight. "May I have the keys to the Lambo, Alfred?"

Alfred laughed, "Of course you may, Miss. I'll go get them for you." I took the rest of my coffee into the kitchen to switch to a to-go cup. Just as I finished pouring the coffee, Alfred came in with the keys.

"Thank you so much, Alfred! I'll see you later!" I smiled and waved goodbye before heading to the garage. I got into the vehicle and started the car, loving the purr of the engine. I sped out of the garage and away from the Manor and made my way into town.

After countless hours of buying some very expensive things, I decided to do some good-will stuff, which I hadn't been able to do in a while. I made my way to the different orphanages around town, just visiting the children who were much like me when I was younger. It broke my heart to see all of the children who had no where else to be with no one to want them. I took my time at each orphanage and boys and girls homes before deciding to head to the Narrows. I decided to park the Lambo at the hospital and take a taxi to the Narrows again.

I made my way to the various street vendors, selling what they could to survive, and bought fifty dollars worth of food and items at each of them. They thanked me graciously and all I could do was smile. I had no need for this food, but I decided to go around to all of the people living on the street and give the items to them. I did my best to get around to all of them and give them food and water and blankets. Their smiles brightened up and they all looked like kids again and I couldn't help but feel like I was doing something right.

I still had an abundance of items left and remembered all of the teenagers in the tunnels who seemed way too young to be working down there. I decided to head down there again, except this time with not so much force.

I opened a manhole and climbed down the ladder. As I walked through the tunnels, all you could hear was the click of my heels against the concrete. It wasn't long before I heard the safety being clicked off of guns. I walked around the corner, into their line of sight, with my hands raised up, "Easy, easy. I have no weapon or means to defend myself." I stated, but the guns were still pointed at me. "Oh for fuck's sake, put down your goddamn weapons because I know for a fact that if I am injured in any way, Bane will personally break your fucking necks." I demanded in frustration. This seemed to catch their attention as their guns began to lower. "Now take me to Bane." I sighed and started walking towards them.

They all seemed shocked as I walked straight through them. I made it another ten feet before stopping and turning around to face them, "Hurry the fuck up, you twats. I don't know the way." That snapped them out of their confusion as they started to walk towards me. They encircled me as we started walking. After about a fifteen minute walk, we made it to the main room.

As I walked in, every head turned to face me as they heard the clicking of my heels. I ignored the stares and headed to where I saw a bunch of young teenagers all huddled together. I quickly opened up the bags and gave them the food and blankets. They didn't say anything, which I appreciated. The look on their faces told me all I needed to know and I smiled at them as the food was devoured.

I heard the monstrous footsteps of Bane and stood up before looking up at him on the level above me. I smirked at him and made my way to the staircase. Once at the top, I started to walk towards him. I saw his eyes glide over my body and my smirk grew even more. I walked straight past him, eyeing him the whole time, and into his room. I took a seat on his bed and crossed my legs. It wasn't long before I heard his thunderous steps come into the room. He closed the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. "As much as I can't appear impressed in front of my men, I appreciate what you did for those kids." Bane admitted and I smiled and looked up at him. I could tell he was smiling by the glint in his eyes. I patted the area next to me on the bed and he listened to me and took a seat beside me, our legs touching.

"When do you begin?" I asked as I entwined my fingers into his. He grasped on tightly before he began to speak.

"Today, at the stock market." It took me a minute to clue in to their whole plan and I had to admit it was extremely clever. "I'd appreciate it if you would join me." He looked into my glistening eyes and I got trapped in his.

"Of course, Bane. I will always be loyal to you. It's just your other half that I will never trust again." I told him. He squeezed my hand gently as I squeezed back. I untangled my hand from his shortly after and placed it on his left shoulder before slowly and gracefully gliding my hand down his arm, tracing every muscle and scar of his. His eyes closed peacefully. We both leaned into each other before arranging our bodies to both fit on the bed. Our bodies were entangled as he began to explain the plan of action as I interjected every once in a while to tell him my ideas and what my role would be. Time passed by quickly before it was time to start getting ready.

My role was to go in and check to see how Bruce's stocks were doing, which coincidentally, I do once in a while anyways. I was greeted at the door and taken to the main room as I leaned against the wall and observed. It wasn't long before I saw Bane's red helmet-covered head go through security and I knew that this is where I really had to act.

Guns were drawn and everyone dropped to the floor, including me. There was one man who stayed put and cowered in his chair, but decided to be difficult. "This is a stock exchange! There's no money here!" He declared. Bane turned to look at him.

"Then why are you people here?" I smirked at his reply and watched as Bane killed him and everyone screamed. This was my cue.

"Stop this!" I screamed, "What do you want here?" I demanded an answer. Bane slowly turned and walked towards me.

"Bruce Wayne's girlfriend, hmm? You could be useful." He forcefully grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. I flinched at the pain and started to writhe away and punch him, but to no avail, which was not so surprising. The people looked horrified as they saw me being dragged away and I forced tears to come to my eyes.

"Time to go mobile." Bane said and we headed to where we had stored the motorcycles. Each of \Bane's men grabbed a hostage and tied them up and sat them on the back of the motorcycle. Bane grabbed one other person and tied them up, doing the same, before gently tying me up to make it seem real and seating me in front of him on the bike.

"You're doing even better than I could've hoped." He said to me as he got onto the bike himself. I smirked through the loosely tied cloth that was in my mouth and sunk into his rock hard chest.

We moved with the crowd as they slowly exited the building before shoving everyone aside and speeding away. Luckily the cops saw the hostages right away and didn't shoot. I began screaming again to play my part and I saw the looks of recognition across the policemen's faces as they saw me being held hostage. Bane revved the bike even more, dropping the other hostage, before speeding away. He easily found a way to get through the police block and soon we were out of danger.

We headed towards on the freeway and through the tunnel before the lights started to turn off. I started to curse because I knew what this meant. Sure enough, Bruce was coming up behind us on his fancy vehicle, trying to take us down. Bane quickly looked behind before speeding up even more in an attempt to get us out of danger. We exited the tunnel and we were losing distance.

Suddenly, Bane forced the motorcycle to a stop and turned us around before he sped towards all of the vehicles. I was shocked until I realized what he was doing. He knew that the police were more interested in catching Batman than robbers and he was going to use it to his advantage. I looked at Bruce's face as we were coming towards him. It wasn't long before he saw that it was me and I could see the difference in his face, even underneath the mask. I managed a look of horror and stared right at him with pleading and crying eyes as we passed. I saw his body language and knew that it too all of his effort not to follow us.

We flew past the police vehicles before hiding in a passenger exit on the side of the highway. We stopped and watched as all of the vehicles and helicopters kept following Batman and we knew we were in the clear. I looked back at Bane and smiled extremely wide. We had pulled it off perfectly. We ditched the bike and walked to the closest manhole we could find. We dropped ourselves in and as soon as both of our pairs of feet hit the concrete, I jumped up on him and wrapped my legs around his waist. We stood there smiling at each other before he dropped me and grabbed my hand, leading us towards the main room, one thing on both of our minds.


	5. Chapter Five

"You know what this means, Mal," Bane began as our sweaty bodies were still wrapped around one another, "You are my prisoner; you can't leave."

"Bullshit." I scoffed and looked up to see that he was already looking down at me.

"They all know I 'captured' you. If you leave, they'll interrogate you until they get information they want." I processed what he had just told me before groaning. "We were in that pit for years and years, Malika. We endured the League of Shadows together and now you can't even bare being with me for a few months?" Bane venomously spat and I rolled my eyes.

"Look, Bane, I love you. I have loved you since the first time we met and I still do. I still love you after all you put me through. I still love you even though you will never love me as much as you love Talia." I spat back. I watched as his whole body tensed up with rage.

"You think Talia means more to me than you do?" He shouted as he got up from the bed to turn and stare at me. I just continued to stare back at him with a blank face. "Why do you even care? You have Bruce fucking Wayne." He continued to shout at me.

I kept my face composed, "Who left who first, Bane," I stated and quirked my left eyebrow. It was at that time that Bane punched a hole through his wall before quickly dressing and storming out of the room. I sunk back into the warm bed, sighing loudly before I decided to dress as well. I changed back into my outfit from yesterday before walking out of the room myself. I looked down to all of the faces who were staring up at Bane and I, wondering what all of the commotion was about and what caused Bane to get so angry. I ignored all of them as I saw Bane gripping onto the metal railings, his knuckles turning white.

"I had no choice." Bane spoke softly as he slowly began to regain his composure. I, however, was losing my own.

"You left me, Bane. You left me down in that hell to go with motherfucking Talia! Do you have any idea what I endured down there? Do you have any idea what those fucking pigs did to me? Did you know that what happened to me when you were there was multiplied by a tenfold when 'Malika's Protector' left? I knew I could escape on my own and the reason it took so fucking long was because my body had to recover from all of the injuries first. I cannot even count how many times I was beat up to a bloody pulp so that I was weak enough for them to get their sick pleasures from me!" I screamed at him and I saw how each bit of information tore him down more and more. "Don't tell me that you had no choice because I don't want excuses. Why don't you man up for once in your fucking life and accept that you and Talia did me wrong." I said with a little bit more composure before storming away from him. I ignored all of the stares as I walked past the men, out of the main room, and through the tunnels in an attempt to get away and clear my head.

I managed to find a secluded spot and lean against the wall, taking deep breaths to try and help myself not to cry. I dropped to the floor and wrapped my arms around my legs, burying my face in between my kneew. I stayed in that position for several minutes before I heard around six pairs of footsteps heading in my direction. I stood up and pressed myself against the wall in hopes of them not being able to see me. I don't exactly know what their intentions are, but I know that they cannot be good.

"Ah, there she is!" One of the men said and I cowered further. Usually I would be fine in this type of position and easily manoeuvre myself out of danger, but I was not in the right mindset with my emotions being all over the place and the flashbacks I have tried to suppress coming at me left, right, and centre. They held guns to my head, cornering me, and the tears started to escape my eyes. They laughed at me as they started to push, kick, and punch me. I tried the best I could to get them off me, but there was no use; my head and body were not strong enough at this moment. I cried more as they tore my clothes off and stared at me with lust-filled, greedy eyes. I had been in this position many more times than one ever should be. I was subjected to the same humiliation and fear as I was in the Pit. The thought of screaming hadn't even entered my mind as the first man entered. A cry escaped my lips before it was quickly covered by the disgusting excuse of a human being.

After what felt like forever, the first man got off and second one entered. The gun was pressed to my head and my vision started to become blurry. I knew I was at the point of passing out because it wasn't the first time I had been through something like this. The pain was excruciating and my lips started to bleed from biting them so hard. Suddenly, the man was ripped off of me and my first reaction was to roll over and cower in the corner. I stayed in a ball as I heard shots being fired off and necks breaking. I tuned it all out as I was brought back to my childhood and I started to sob violently.

Silence overtook everything before I felt myself being wrapped up and taken into someone's arms. They silently carried me away from the dead bodies and I let the darkness overtake me.

When I awoke, confusion was all that I felt. I tried to push myself up into a sitting position, but I had to bite back a scream of excruciating pain. Every fibre in my entire body ached and screamed as I tried to shift myself.

"Easy, Mal. You took quite the beating." I looked into Bane's eyes and all of the memories of what happened before came rushing back to me as tears escaped my eyes.

"I- I… I was so scared, Bane." I choked out as I tried to keep myself calm, "I don't know what happened. M- My guard was down and t- the flashbacks just kept replaying and there was so m- many of them." I sobbed. Through my tears, I could just make out that Bane had tears in his eyes too. He gently placed himself on the bed next to me and wrapped himself around me, brushing my tears away.

"I'm sorry, Malika. I'm sorry for leaving and for what you endured and for not coming to rescue you earlier last night." He whispered into my ear. I ignored my body's protests as I curled into Bane and nuzzled my neck into the crook of his.

Bane started to try and speak again, but I held a finger to his lips, "Don't ruin this," I joked and I heard a chuckle escape him. I smiled and ran my fingers along his body. I tried not to let it show that I was in pain, but Bane noticed anyways. He gently grabbed my wrist and placed it around his waist. It wasn't long before my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep. For the first time, I slept without any nightmares or flashbacks as Bane and I had our bodies wrapped around one another.

The next morning, I woke up to the sounds of something heavy being dropped on the floor. I knew it wasn't Bane as he still remained next to me in the bed. My eyes fluttered open as I saw Talia standing in front of us with her arms crossed and an unimpressed look on her face. I looked on the floor to see what had been dropped and I saw that it was a duffel bag from Bruce's home that was filled with a ton of my clothes and shoes and supplies. I stared confusedly between Talia and the bag and wondered how she had gotten it.

"Let's just say that it seems like neither you nor Bruce are very good at faithfulness." Talia smirked and it took a few seconds to realize what exactly she meant.

"You bitch!" I screamed before throwing the covers off of me and tackling her to the floor. She just laughed as I threw punches at her, not even caring when I hit her. Suddenly, I felt myself being picked up by a pair of strong arms around my waist and immediately knew it was Bane. He always had hated it when we fought. I struggled against his iron grip and continued to scream, "You knew he was mine! You knew we were together for over a year! You just always have to steal everything from me, don't you?" I saw Talia's face fell and I kept fighting against Bane even though every time that I struggled more, his grip would just get tighter.

"You think I steal everything from you?" Talia scoffed loudly, "You stole my own goddamn father from me!" She screamed and started to come after me.

"Barsad!" Bane demanded and immediately Barsad had stormed in and had taken a hold of Talia before she could get to me.

"It wasn't my fault he liked me more than his own precious little daughter!" I fought back and her eyes turned black as she fought more and more against Barsad.

"I bet you fucked him, didn't you? I bet you fucked my father to win him over!" Talia shouted back. I took this as my opportunity to really put her over the edge.

"And I was the best he ever had," I stated much more calmly and smirked. I don't think I have ever seen Talia as furious as she was then. Bane ordered Barsad to take her out of the tunnels, calm her down, and keep her away from me. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Bane violently threw me on to the bed. I looked up into his eyes and he was glaring at me. I shrunk back against the wall and stared up at him with wide eyes, awaiting my punishment. I hadn't even thought about Bane's reaction to our fighting; I was just focused on pissing Talia off.

"What the fuck was that?" He spat out and I moved my head to stare intently at the sheets, not being able to look into his eyes anymore.

"She fucked Bruce." I mumbled in my defence and he scoffed.

"Do you really care that much? Your relationship was a scam!" I looked into his eyes then and took a deep breath, knowing he would not like what I said next.

"When you're with someone for 14 months and you live together and take care of each other, you can't help but develop feelings for them." I softly said and I could see every muscle in his body tense up.

"And what about Ra's? Was that true too?" He asked coldly, almost as if he knew what the real answer was.

"Of course it fucking wasn't! Do you actually believe I'm that much of a whore? Ra's was like my father and I can't help that he preferred me over his own daughter." I venomously shot back. Bane and I continued to stare at each other for a while before he stalked away towards the door.

Before leaving, he stopped to say one last thing, "I have a surprise for you tonight." And with that, he walked out. By his voice, I knew it wasn't going to be good. I punched the wall in fury before trudging to my bag and grabbing out another outfit and changing. I decided to make Bane's day a living hell so I grabbed a pair of high-waisted short shorts that barely covered my ass, a scoop neck top that showed much of my cleavage, and a pair of red pumps. I combed through my hair and did my make-up before just relaxing on the bed, giving Bane a little bit of time.

My thoughts flew to Bane and how fucked up our relationship was. Both of our emotions were all over the place when it came to one another. One minute we could be lovers in love, and the next minute we would be trying to rip each other's heads off. When we were good, we were really good. When we were bad, it was hell. I think that's what has made our bond so strong, though. I don't think either of us would last long with someone who was stable; someone who was predictable and loving all of the time. The two of us fit so perfectly together because we were both so imperfect. I massaged my temples, trying to get rid of my thoughts which were causing me a headache.

I rose up off the bed and strutted over to the doorway, walking out of the room. This time, instead of ignoring the looks and whistles, I basked in them. I made sure to put on a show for the soldiers in an attempt to get Bane ever angrier. I saw him talking to some of his men and I directed myself towards him. I made sure stay within an arm's reach of him and walked straight past, making sure to swing my hips even more. I could feel his anger resonate off of him as he knew exactly what I was doing. I smirked to myself before leaving the main room and walking through the tunnels.

It wasn't long before I heard footsteps and I slowed my steps down to see who it was. Around the corner came Barsad and my smile grew as evil plans flew through my mind. I quickly walked into step beside him and he contained his shock well. "Got a smoke?" I asked flirtatiously. He cleared his throat before taking out a pack and handing one to me before taking one out for himself. We stopped walking as he took out his lighter. I stared straight into his eyes as he focused on lighting my cigarette. After a few seconds, his eyes met mine and he kept his stare on me as he lit his own. This was nothing out of the ordinary for the two of us. We had flirted shamelessly when in the League of Shadows and we had history. "Let's sit." I said and led the way to a secluded area that had a cement block rested against the wall. Barsad took a seat on the block and I sat on his lap, wrapping my arm around his neck as I scooted closer to him without any protest. He wrapped his arm tightly around my waist as I took a long drag and instantly my body relaxed. "It's been much too long since I've had a cigarette with you." I winked as I exhaled the smoke.

"Much too long." Barsad winked back as he took another drag. We sat there reminiscing about out League of Shadows days as we finished our smokes. We put out our cigarette butts, but remained attached to one another. I found myself manoeuvring my body to straddle his waist. His hands quickly found my ass and he squeezed as my lips crashed down on his. Our bodies and lips moulded together as we let passion and lust take over our senses. I took my anger for Bane and Talia and transformed it into sexual frustration as I grinded my hips into Barsad's, making him groan.

I felt his bulge through his pants and I smirked into his lips. I felt myself grow hot and wet and it wasn't long before his pants and my shorts were removed. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he roughly pushed me up against the wall. All of the pain and anger I felt was being turned into pleasure I fully welcomed Barsad inside me. I gasped as his full size entered me and I wrapped my legs tighter around him, burying him even deeper. He groaned before pulling out and plunging back inside me, causing my back to his the concrete wall again. I groaned in pleasure as our lips met again and he continued to thrust.

After about another five minutes, we had both reached our peak and we held onto each other even more forcefully as we climaxed. We both panted as we continued to hold onto one another. He slowly pulled out and gently placed me back on my own two feet. We both dressed ourselves before Barsad pulled out another two cigarettes, lighting them both and handing one to me. We resumed our place on the concrete and enjoyed our smoke, the sexual tension gone.

"You head back first," I whispered into his ear before getting up off his lap. My legs were still a bit wobbly, but I retained as much composure as I could as I watched him walk back to the main passages. I stayed put and finished up my cigarettes before heading back to the main room myself.

When I reached headquarters, I walked in to see that everyone was watching something that was happening in the centre of the room. As I got closer, I saw that Bruce, dressed as Batman, was squaring off against Bane. I started to shake in fear. I knew Bruce wasn't going to survive this fight.

"Don't you dare do this!" I screamed at Bane who just looked up at me and I could tell he was smirking behind the mask. So this was the surprise he was talking about. I suddenly cursed myself for making Bane angrier because I knew that he was just going to take it all out on Bruce. When I saw Bruce turn to look up at me, I saw his eyes filled with shock. I stared at him apologetically and tears started to form in my eyes. I saw Bane's face harden at my feelings for Bruce and knew that he was even angrier. I saw Bane nod to a few of his men who then all took a hold of me, not allowing me to move. I started to fight as much as I could but it was no use. Bane wanted me to watch him destroy Bruce and I couldn't help but feel extreme hatred towards Bane at this moment. I tuned out all of the voices as everything around me happened in slow motion.

I watched as Bane fought Bruce like he was a little toy. The tears streamed down my face even more as I screamed for it to stop. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see anymore. I felt my knees give out below me, but I was held in place by the men. I didn't open my eyes until I heard explosions go off and the roof coming down. I watched as I saw Bane's men climb up into the armoury that was in the basement of Wayne Enterprises. "Your precious armoury gratefully accepted. We will need it." Bane declared. I watched as Bruce got back up and I cursed his lack of knowing when to stop.

"Ah, yes. I was wondering what would break first," Bruce took a swing at Bane, but Bane easily dodged it and Bruce fell to the ground. "your spirit, or your body." Bane shouted as he lifted up Bruce as if he were just a bench press bar. I heard a sickening crunch as I saw Bane break Bruce's back. I screamed at the top of my lungs and all of the anger that was inside me took over me as I escaped the men's hold. I jumped over the rails and landed in a crouch on my feet on the same level Bruce was on. I quickly got up and ran over to him. I pulled off the rest of his mask, as Bane had destroyed the majority of it, and rested his head onto my lap. The tears flowed freely now and they landed on Bruce's face. I quickly checked his breath and pulse to see if he was still alive. I thanked God when he was still was and I cradled his head. I gently stroked his cheek before gently kissing him on the lips. Bane tore me away and hauled me over his soldier as I kicked and screamed for him to let me go as he carried me back to his room. I watched as Bruce got carried away and I started convulsing in fear.

Bane dropped me on the bed and I quickly scrambled to get up to attack him, but Bane pushed me down and straddled my waist, holding my arms above my head. "Where are you taking him?" I spat out and Bane chuckled.

"Bruce Wayne must endure the same false hope we did." My eyes widened as I realized Bane was taking him to the Pit. Bane quickly got off of me as Barsad strode in, "She is your duty until I am back." Bane told Barsad before striding out of the room.

"Give me a fucking cigarette." I demanded.


	6. Chapter Six

"Do you have any sevens?" Barsad asked as he stared at the cards in his hand.

"Nope, go fish." I answered and giggled as he sighed in frustration as he had to pick up another card. Both Barsad and I looked up in surprise as Bane walked through the door. He stared at us with disbelief in his eyes as he saw the two of us sitting cross legged on the ground, playing Go Fish. "Maybe you could help Barsad out, Bane. He's absolute rubbish at this game." I joked as I playfully shoved Barsad. I could see the amusement in Bane's eyes, which made me smile even wider. The days that Bane had been gone had been therapeutic and allowed me to control my anger and try to move past what he had done. Of course I wasn't going to forgive him or forget about it, but I just tried to push it to the back of my mind like I tried to do with all of my other memories that I didn't want to deal with or think about.

"Barsad," Bane said and immediately Barsad got up to follow him out of the room.

"I can't very well play Go Fish by myself!" I shouted at them in frustration because now I would have to wait for them. After a few minutes Bane came back into the room alone.

"We have some business to attend to that I don't think it wise for you to be there for, but I will have my men escort you to another location and I will meet you there." All I did was nod and accept what I had to do, not wanting to argue with him.

As soon as he left, I sighed and fell back on the bed, realizing just how tired I was. I figured the first part of their plan was going to take a while so I decided to have a nap. I cuddled up into the blankets and immediately drifted off into sleep.

"_Learn to use your mind, not your emotions." Ra's Al Ghul told me as we were training. I steadied myself and took a few deep breaths to compose before flying at him again. This time I had managed think of a tactical way around him and kicked him in the back of his knee, causing his left leg to collapse and Ra's chuckled. "Very good, Malika, you're learning fast. We're done for today." He stated as he started walking away and I unwrapped the bandages around my wrist. I headed to the kitchen to get some water and found Bane sitting at the island._

"_Hey stranger," I winked as I went to the cupboards to get a glass._

"_Just finished training?" Bane asked and I nodded. "Partner missions are coming up soon." He stated and I nodded once more, my jaw tightening in anger as I turned on the tap to let the water pour into my glass._

"_It's obvious you're going to be with Talia." I pointed out before taking a big gulp of water. Bane's eyebrows furrowed. "She's daddy's little girl and she'll get what she wants." Bane rolled his eyes at me._

"_We'll find out all in due time." He said and left the kitchen. I finished my glass of water and filled it up again. After I had downed four glasses, I headed to the gym to work on my fitness training. After doing a cardio warm-up, I stretched and did some core exercises before heading off to do weights. The sweat dripped off of me as I pushed and pushed myself to keep doing more reps. Once I was too sore to move, I decided to quit and head back to my room._

_I grabbed a change of clothes and a towel before sneaking out of my room and heading down the hallway. I hid in every place I could, making sure I wouldn't be seen. I took one last look around before dashing diagonally across the hall and slipping into Bane's bedroom. He looked up in surprise until he saw that it was me and he smirked. "I need a shower," I smirked and headed over to his bathroom. I left the door wide open behind me and I turned on the shower. I slipped out of my training clothes and hung my towel on the rack before getting into the steaming shower. I sighed as the water cascaded over me and I felt my muscles slowly begin to relax. I smiled to myself as I heard the bathroom door close and felt Bane step into the shower. He started to massage my neck and back and I groaned in pleasure as he chuckled._

_We stayed in the shower for what seemed like forever before we stepped out and dried each other off. I changed into the pyjamas I had brought, which consisted of a small and tight tank top and short flannel pyjama shorts. We fell back into the bed and nestled into its warmth. I snuggled closer to him and we just lay there; no talking, no kissing, no sexual intimacy, just lying in each other's arms._

_I rolled over to check the time and groaned when I realized I would have to get up to go back to my room. Bane had already fallen asleep so I had to wrestle out of his iron clad grip, which took a fair few minutes. Once I was on my own two feet, I leaned over and kissed his temple before grabbing my training clothes and towel and sneaking back down the hallway to my room. I got under my own covers, but it wasn't the same without Bane right next to me and I sighed before tossing and turning, trying to find a comfy position for me to sleep in._

_For the next few days, it was normal. Wake up, eat, train, spar, eat, spar, gym, train, eat, gym, train, sleep. It was extremely routine-orientated in the League of Shadows and it helped to keep order amongst everyone. However, on the fourth day, Ra's asked us all to meet in the main training room for an announcement. Of course, we all knew what it was about; partner missions. We all made our way to the room where was saw Ra's waiting for us. Once we were all settled, he began, "Partner missions are an important part of training for the League of Shadows. It will either make or break you. I will find out who is strong enough to continue on. You will all have six days to cover a certain amount of land. These missions will test your comradeship, your mind, your soul, your fitness, your training, and your body. Some may die, but if you die, then you obviously don't belong in the League of Shadows." He paused and looked around at each of us before continuing on, "I will call out a destination as well as two names at a time. The name you are paired with will be your partner. When you return to your rooms, on your beds you will see the only supplies and clothes you will be allowed to have. You will choose one of your rooms between you both and to get comfortable, you will share a room. You leave tomorrow." He started listing off names, but I didn't pay attention to any of them until I heard Bane's name. I was right as he was paired off with Talia and he stared at me as I stared back with a smirk and a raised eyebrow as to tell him that I called it. A few more pairs were called before I heard my name, "Russia. Malika and Gregory." I couldn't hold back the groan as it escaped my lips. Gregory was one of the younger members who thought he was the second God. We all knew he didn't deserve to be in the League of Shadows; he got lucky every single fight he was in and used dirty tricks. I stormed off into my room and saw a medium sized traveller's bag filled with a warm coat, a knife, a small sleeping bag, and a few other warm clothing items. Gregory and I hadn't had time to discuss whose room as I had stormed off so early and I didn't plan on moving, so I stayed in my room._

_I heard everyone go to their rooms and decided to go talk to Ra's. I knocked on his office door, "Come in." He said and I angrily opened the door and strutted to his desk, not bothering to take a seat as I placed my hands forcefully on his desk and leaning on them. "Ah, what can I help you with, Malika?" Ra's smiled at me._

"_Why did you have to pair me with Gregory?" I spat out loudly, "I wouldn't have cared who it was as long as it was anyone but Gregory." Ra's just laughed and crossed his arms over his chest._

"_Malika, Malika, calm down. I partnered him with you for a reason. I needed to even out the strong and the weak. If I had partnered two weak members together, they wouldn't have even lasted a day at these destinations. Take it as a compliment. As you are one of my best members, I had to partner you with one of the worst." After his explanation, I calmed down a bit and stood up straight._

"_I'm still not happy." I stated before turning around and heading back to my room as I heard Ra's laugh._

_When I came back into my room, Gregory had made himself comfortable on my bed. I stood there with my foot tapping and my hands on my hips, an unimpressed look on my face. "No." I simply stated and he turned to smile at me sheepishly._

"_C'mon, baby, we can share." He said as he tapped the spot next to him._

"_No. You're on the floor." I retorted before I walked over to him and pulled him off the bed._

"_Hey!" He called in protest as he fell to the floor._

"_This is my fucking room so I get the bed. You should just be grateful that you have me as a partner to save your sorry ass." I seethed out and his face was plastered with anger._

"_Fine!" He shouted and collected his things to find a comfortable place on the floor. I smiled in accomplishment and grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom and preparing for bed._

_I woke up early the next morning and quietly packed my stuff before waking up Gregory. He groaned but finally got up. As soon as he was ready, we headed out the door and to outside the armoury where we were all taking our flights to our destinations. Gregory and I headed off first and just before I stepped on the plane Ra's stopped me with a hand on my shoulder, "Be careful." Was all he said before squeezing my shoulder and stepping away. I nodded at him before sneaking a look at Bane in farewell and stepped on the small plane._

"_Good luck!" The pilot called as Gregory and I hooked our selves onto each other before jumping out of the plane. We were freefalling for a few seconds and I had the hugest smile on my face, feeling the wind fly through my hair and feeling so free. It wasn't long before Gregory pulled the chord and our parachute ejected, assuring us a safe landing._

_We landed into a huge pile of snow and I was laughing in complete joy. I had never seen the snow before. Gregory and I unhooked our selves from each other and took off the parachuting gear. I quickly pulled on my parka as Gregory did the same. All we had to do on this mission was survive for six days. We had to make our own shelter and find our own food or else we would easily die. We quickly started exploring our landscape, trying to find food and shelter before night fall. I looked at where the sun was in the sky and knew we only had a few hours._

_We found a small burrow in the forest and decided to make our shelter there. Gregory demanded the role of hunter gatherer and I was too tired to fight him so he went off to look for food while I built our shelter for the night._

_In an hour, I had a sturdy shelter built for us that would at least last one night. I started to look for kindling so I could build a fire to cook our food and for warmth. I went out again and found a decent sized piece of wood, which I took back to the burrow. I took out the knife Ra's gave me and started to slice off pieces. I heard footsteps coming and looked up to see Gregory with a smile on his face and a hare in his grasp._

_In twenty minutes, I had a small fire going as Gregory continued to skin the hare and prepare it to eat. I picked up a small chunk of snow and stuck it in my mouth for hydration._

_Soon enough the meat was being cooked by the fire and since it was only small pieces of meat, it didn't take long for them to be ready to eat. We both devoured the food in no time at all before we sat at the fire, trying to keep warm._

"_We're going to have to sleep together tonight to conserve heat." I stated and Gregory looked at me peevishly. "Ew, not in that way, you sicko!" I pushed him playfully as he laughed. We decided to keep the fire going as we prepared for bed. We got into one sleeping bag as we opened up the other one and used it as a second layer. We both wrapped our arms around each other and I snuggled into Gregory's body, enjoying his natural warmth. It wasn't long before we both drifted off into sleep._

_Over the next four days, we had covered as much land as we were supposed to. We had gotten into a few altercations, but nothing too serious, and we had gotten closer to each other. We both knew our roles, which were the same as the first day; I would build a shelter for the night while Gregory got food for us to eat. We were both relieved that we were headed home tomorrow. Back to our own warm beds with clean water and sanitation. I knew I had lost a lot of weight due to burning thousands of calories a day and eating barely any food. I wasn't going to complain, though; I was alive still._

_I was sitting around waiting for Gregory to come back with dinner and it was taking him unusually long compared to the other times he had gone out._

_After another half hour, I decided to go looking for him. My senses were keen as I searched for him and I suddenly caught the scent of something very unusual. It was almost a metallic smell._

_My eyes widened; blood._

_I quickly ran to where the smell was coming from and saw a wolf attacking something on the ground; Gregory. I tried to be as silent as possible as I started to sneak up behind the wolf. It took every ounce of my will power to not just run at the wolf to get him to stop attacking Gregory. His screams clouded my senses and I couldn't think straight. I suddenly jumped on top of the wolf and it howled in anger as it tried to throw me off of it. I buried my grip deeper into its fur as I struggled to hang on._

_I was almost thrown off as I tried to grab my knife out of my pocket. I quickly pulled myself back on top of its back before reaching out my arm and stabbing it in the eye. The sound that erupted from the wolf caused me to let go and fall off of it, clutching my ears to try and block out the sound. It ran off a few seconds later and I fell back into the snow in exhaustion before remembering Gregory._

_I scrambled up and crawled over to his still body. His eyes were open, but he was spaced out. "Gregory?" I asked softly. I inspected his body and saw that his left leg was broken in two places, his right collar bone was fractured, and his side was ripped open. I quickly took off my jacket and started tearing apart my shirt to make bandages. I took a large heap of cloth and applied pressure to his side. He screamed in agony and I very gently placed his head in my lap, wiping away his tears. "Shh, shh, it's going to be okay, Gregory." I gently cooed, trying to make him feel better. However, I knew it wasn't going to be okay._

"_So this is what it takes for me to get you out of you shirt," He looked into my eyes and struggled to smile which turned into a grimace. I laughed without any humour and ran my fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him. He looked right into my eyes before he let out a struggled breath and I watched as his eyes died; his whole self die. I didn't let any tears escape my eyes as I gently closed his._

I woke up with a sweat as there was a knock on the door before a soldier poked his head through, "It's time, Miss."


End file.
